JPS6395984A - Ink ribbon for color thermal fusion transfer recording - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To form a clear full-color image, by alternately providing at least three kinds of different-colored heat-fusible ink layers and one kind of transparent ink layers on a base sheet to produce an ink ribbon for color thermal fusion transfer recording. CONSTITUTION:Ink layers of a yellow ink 12, a transparent ink 13, a magenta ink 14, the transparent ink 13 and a cyan ink 15 are sequentially provided on an ink ribbon base 17 by coating to produce an ink ribbon for color thermal fusion transfer recording. With this ink ribbon, there is no ruggedness produced on a recording paper due to the presence and absence of ink, and the third ink is transferred as uniformly as the first ink. Consequently, each of yellow, magenta and cyan colors and red, blue, green and black colors can be securely reproduced, and clearer reproduction of full-color images can be achieved by a thermal fusion transfer type color printer.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a recording ink ribbon used in a color printer using a heat-melt transfer recording method using heat-melt ink.

2. Description of the Related Art A conventional ink ribbon for color thermal melt transfer recording will be described below. As shown in Figure 3, generally the three primary colors in subtractive color mixing are yellow ink 11 magenta ink 2
．． A color image is recorded using an ink ribbon on which cyan ink 3 is applied to an ink ribbon base material 4.

That is, first, transfer recording of the first color is performed on a ribbon coated with three colors of ink, and then the recording paper is returned to its original position, and then the second color ink is transferred. When the third color is recorded in the same way, the color thermal melt transfer recording of a total of seven colors of yellow, magenta, cyan, and a mixture of these colors of red, blue, green, and black is completed. Figure 4 shows the relationship between the three primary colors and the colors created by mixing these colors.

FIG. 5 schematically shows a cross section of a recording sheet on which color thermal transfer recording has been performed. In this figure, the ink transferred onto the recording paper 5 overlaps in the following order: yellow ink 6, magenta ink 7, and cyan ink 8 above that. As with general printing, the order of overlapping ink is often yellow, magenta, and cyan.

Problems to be Solved by the Invention In the conventional technology, when ink is superimposed, the amount of transferred ink (generally magenta and cyan) that is superimposed later is equal to that of the ink that was transferred first (yellow). Depends on quantity. That is, as shown in FIG. 6, if the area of the ink 9 on the base of the recording paper 6 is large, the ink 10.
1 is transferred correctly regardless of the size of the area, but as shown in Figure 7, which shows the ideal case, the base ink 9.1
If the area of 0 is small and the area of the third color ink 11 transferred thereon is large, the transfer of the third color ink 11 will be affected by the base. In other words, in an actual printer,
As shown in FIG. 8, if the inks 9 and 10 transferred in the first and second times are not present on the entire surface, the ink 11 in the third time (third color) is difficult to be uniformly transferred. Base ink 9.1
Due to the unevenness of 0, the third color ink 11 is not applied uniformly over the entire surface, and in particular, almost no third color ink is transferred to the boundaries between the unevenness and the valleys of the base ink. This problem can also be seen when transferring the second color ink onto the unevenness of the first color, but in this case, by increasing the energy applied to the thermal and gutter, the second color ink is transferred to the base ink. Transcribed without being affected. However, even if the energy applied to the thermal head is increased, the third color ink is not transferred uniformly as shown in FIG. 7.

When the above-mentioned transfer error occurs, the resulting color image becomes whitish, and in particular, the colors red, blue, and green, which are created by mixing the three primary colors, are difficult to appear. This thing is yellow, magenta.

This poses a problem in thermal melt transfer color printers that print full-color images depending on the size of the area of a total of six colors: cyan, red, blue, and green.

The present invention is intended to solve these problems, and aims to make it possible to reproduce clear full-color images.

Means for Solving the Problem In order to solve this problem, the present invention uses three different methods.
A color or higher heat-melt ink layer and a transparent ink layer are alternately formed on a base sheet.

Operation The conventional problem arises from the unevenness of the ink that is created when ink is layered on top of the ink. In particular, the unevenness caused by the ink of the two colors 5., - and the ink of the third color poses a problem, and it is sufficient to fill in the valleys between the unevenness, and this configuration eliminates the unevenness.

Example An embodiment of the present invention will be described below.

FIG. 1 shows one embodiment of the present invention, and is a perspective view of an ink ribbon used in a thermal melt transfer type color printer having a line type thermal head.

The inks applied on the ink ribbon substrate 1A are yellow ink 12. Transparent ink13. Magenta ink 14. The transparent ink is 13° and the cyan ink is 16°.

To perform thermal melt transfer recording using this ink ribbon, first ink the first color yellow ink 1 as shown in the second Na.
2 onto the paper 16.

Next, transparent ink 13 is transferred as shown in FIG. At this time, the portion to which the transparent ink is transferred is the portion other than the yellow ink 12 that was previously transferred.

That is, the entire surface of the paper 16 is covered with yellow ink 12 or transparent ink 13 to eliminate unevenness caused by the presence or absence of ink. Next, magenta ink 14 is transferred thereon, and then transparent ink 13 is transferred to areas other than the magenta ink. Finally, cyan ink 15 is transferred onto the surface which has no unevenness due to the presence or absence of ink. As shown in FIG. 2C, this method eliminates unevenness on the recording paper due to the presence or absence of ink, and the third color ink is transferred uniformly like the first color.

Effects of the Invention As described above, according to the present invention, unevenness on the recording paper due to the presence or absence of ink is eliminated, and the third color ink is transferred uniformly in the same way as the first color ink, and as a result, yellow, magenta, cyan, and Each color of red + W + a + black is reliably reproduced, and full-color image reproduction in a thermal melt transfer color printer becomes more accurate.

Furthermore, the present invention has an excellent feature in that it is possible to improve the image quality of a color printer by simply changing the ink ribbon and adding an input image signal, without making any changes to the printer mechanism.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an ink ribbon for color thermal melt transfer recording according to an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a sectional view of paper and ink showing the transfer process using the ink ribbon of the present invention, and FIG.
The figure is a perspective view of a conventional ink ribbon, Figure 4 is a relationship between the three primary colors of subtractive color mixing and the colors created by their combination, and Figure 5 is a perspective view of a conventional ink ribbon.
The figure is a cross-sectional view of paper and ink transferred and recorded with a conventional ink ribbon, Figure 6 is a cross-sectional view of another paper and ink transferred and recorded with a conventional ink ribbon, and Figure 7 is an ideal for heat-melting ink. FIG. 8 is a sectional view of paper and ink when actually transferred using a conventional ink ribbon. 12...Yellow ink, 13...Transparent ink, 14...Magenta ink, 15...
Cyan ink, 17... Ink ribbon base material. Name of agent: Patent attorney Toshio Nakao and 1 other person14
- Mazenk ink 15 - Cyan ink Fig. 2 Fig. 3 Fig. 4 Fig. 5 Fig. 6 q q q 0 harm q q q

Claims (1)

[Claims] An ink ribbon for color heat-melt transfer recording, characterized in that heat-melt ink layers of three or more different colors and transparent ink layers are alternately formed on a base sheet.